New Viola – part 2 (rough arching, purfling)

On the violin family instruments, purfling is used to protect the edges from damage as well as to add another layer of elegance. Cleaning out the channel and fitting the purfling perfectly in the instrument plates is one of the most time-intensive tasks for me. I always breathe a sigh of relief when it’s been glued in.

I like to do some rough arching before I inlay the purfling. Here, the platform around the edges has already been leveled in preparation for the purfling channel.

The long arch is one of the most distinctive features of the da Salo instruments I’ve studied. This one is still in progress.

In order to see the arching, a dark room with a directional light makes all the difference.

The purfling channel has been cut, now just cleaning up the corners before fitting the purfling.

Corner closeup, about halfway done with the cleaning.

The purfling is “dry fitted” before gluing.

Purfling is glued in place! Now I wait until it dries before the next step.

View the next article here: New Viola – Part 3 (rough thicknessing, f-holes)